Friday, August 10, 2018

20 of metro Detroit's most iconic music venues

Cliff Bell's

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Courtesy photo

Cliff Bell’s was established in 1935 by Detroit entrepreneur John Clifford Bell. Bell came to the city with a thirst for the nightlife and was an ambitious and unstoppable force during the years of prohibition. He ran several speakeasies around downtown before finally establishing Cliff Bell’s on Park Avenue. Bell ran the club until his retirement in 1958, but by 1985 the club closed and remained hollow until 2005. New owners Paul Howard, Scott Lowell, and Carolyn Howard began renovations on the historic club and six months later reopened in 2006. Cliff Bell’s is a reminder of the illustrious post-prohibition period and continues to uphold its 1930s club aesthetic, a beautiful structure of mahogany and brass with nightly jazz music performances and saucy cocktails.